Our Terms & Conditions | The Clearing

1. Our duty of care to you

It is of utmost importance to us that you receive the best support possible & we will do everything that we can to ensure that you do.

1.1 Our team of skilled therapists are trained in a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches & we will do our best to match you to the therapist whose approach & experience is best suited to you, based on the information that you have provided at the point of booking.

1.2 The key to successful therapy however is the relationship that you will form with your therapist. The initial consultation is a chance for you & your therapist to meet to discuss the issues that you’ve been facing & to see if you are a good relational fit with each other. If for whatever reason either you, or your therapist decide that you are not a good fit, you can be referred to another member of the team or signposted on to an alternative service where appropriate.

1.3 Due to the complexity of the psyche it is not possible for your therapist to draw absolute conclusions about the issues you are facing or the best course of action for you in a one hour consultation. The assessment process in therapy is always ongoing & your therapist will continually review progress throughout your therapy to ensure that we are providing you with the best service possible.

1.4 In some instances your therapist may decide either after the initial consultation, or at a later point during the therapeutic process that either your needs are beyond their area of expertise, or that you require a more intensive, or specialist treatment that is beyond what our service is able to offer you. In such instances this decision will be clearly explained to you & we will endeavour to signpost you to an appropriate alternative service.

2. Confidentiality

2.1 All confidential information is held by The Clearing in accordance with the GDPR, 2018, using the secure & encrypted practice management platform, Kiku (wearekiku.com). Please see our privacy policy for more details.

2.2 Everything that you discuss with your therapist is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else or where we are instructed to do so by a Court of Law. We will always endeavour to speak to you about this first.

2.3 Your therapist discusses their clinical work with a supervisor. This is to ensure that they offer you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality & you will only be referred to by your first name.

2.4 Notes are also kept of each session. These are anonymised & are either stored in a locked filing cabinet or in a password protected file on the Kiku platform. These notes are for your therapist’s use only & help keep a track of everything that is being discussed. These notes must be kept securely for up to seven years after your therapy comes to an end, after which they will be confidentially destroyed.

2.5 In line with GDPR you have the right to request sight of your session notes. Should you wish to view your notes while you are still in therapy, please discuss this with your counsellor. If you would like to receive a copy of your notes at any time during the seven years that they will be held after your therapy comes to an end, please email info@theclearing.org.uk or call 07514084909 to make this request.

2.6 You also have the right to request that we confidentially destroy your session notes & the contact details that we hold for you. This can be arranged by contacting our office. The only instances where we will not be able to comply with this request is if

a) It is necessary for us to retain these records in order to continue providing an effective service to you.
b) We are compelled to retain these records by a Court of Law
c) We require these records in order to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

2.7 Online sessions are held using end to end encrypted video calling software for maximum privacy. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for any breaches in confidentiality caused by failures in this software.

3. Appointments

3.1 All appointments last for one hour & you will usually meet with your therapist on a weekly basis.

3.2 Sessions will be conducted either by video or telephone call, depending on your preference. Please ensure that you are logged on to the relevant video calling software & / or are ready for your session start time in order to make the most of the therapeutic hour. Please note that sessions will not run over the allocated time slot.

3.3 Your therapist will ensure that they conduct the session in a quiet & confidential setting. Please ensure that you do the same so you can get the most out of the appointment.

3.4 Should either you or your therapist experience technical difficulties due to interruptions in internet or mobile service for example, your therapist will endeavour to switch the session to an alternative format (e.g. another video calling platform, telephone or an alternative phone line) in order for the appointment to continue with minimal disruption.

3.5 It is not usual for you to have contact with your therapist outside of your therapy sessions. If you think that you may need extra support, please discuss this with your therapist.

4. Payment

4.1 Payment for your sessions is made at the point of booking by card using the Kiku system.

4.2 In instances where our fee is not paid immediately, you must make payment within 24 hours of arranging your booking, in order to secure the appointment. In the absence of payment your session may be cancelled.

5. Making changes to your appointment

5.1 If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment with us you can do so using your Kiku account. Alternatively you can contact our office by telephone, 0751 408 4909, or email, info@theclearing.org.uk.

5.2 We ask that you give at least two working days notice of any changes to appointments, in order to be eligible for a refund. This gives us the opportunity to reallocate the hour to someone else.

5.3 When contacting the office, cancellations must be made within our admin office hours – Monday to Friday between 8am & 4pm. Except bank holidays, Christmas Eve & New Years Eve.

5.4 Cancellations made after our admin office has closed will not be received until the office reopens. In these instances, notice will be classed as having been given at the point that the message was picked up.

5.5 The full session fee will be charged for cancelled sessions, where two working days notice has not been given & for non-attended sessions, where no prior notice has been given. Please note that for therapy to work, regular attendance is essential.

5.6 Where sufficient notice has been provided the full session fee can either be transferred to your next booking or refunded, less a cancellation fee of £2.50. This fee covers our card processing & administrative costs.

6. Breaks in Therapy

For counselling to be effective regular & consistent attendance is essential. It is also important that both you & your therapist are aware of any planned breaks so that you can prepare for the weeks when you won’t be seeing each other. Your therapist will endeavour to give you at least six weeks notice of any holidays that she is taking & we ask that you try to do the same.

7. Raising Concerns

We hope that your time with your therapist at The Clearing will be a really positive experience & we look forward to working with you.

7.1 Should you ever have any problems at all with the service that you receive from us, please let your therapist know. If this does not resolve the issue, please raise your concerns with our admin team, via email to our central administrative address, info@theclearing.org.uk. We will always aim to respond to you within two working days.

7.2 All of our therapists are registered with a regulatory body. If you are not happy that the issue has been resolved fully by The Clearing the next step would be to raise a complaint with your therapist’s regulatory body.

7.3 Please note that all therapists at The Clearing are independent practitioners. Whilst we do all that we can to ensure that our therapists are working to the highest of professional & ethical standards, we cannot be held responsible for their actions. Any complaints or law suits in relation to the therapy or supervision that you have received from your therapist must therefore be taken up directly with the therapist in question.

7.4 In accepting our term & conditions, you permanently agree to release and indemnify The Clearing from all suits, law suits, claims and actions originating from Counselling, Psychotherapy, Supervision and Coaching provided by your therapist through The Clearing.